What is BookCrossing? http://www.bookcrossing.com 
It’s the World’s Library. It’s a smart social networking site. It’s a celebration of literature and a place where books get new life. BookCrossing is the act of giving a book a unique identity so, as the book is passed from reader to reader, it can be tracked and thus connecting its readers. There are currently 932,285 BookCrossers and 8,002,598 books travelling throughout 132 countries. Our community is changing the world and touching lives one book at a time. It aims to connect people through books.
Label. Share. Follow. Breath new life into books instead of letting your old favorites collect dust – pass them along to another reader. The online archival and tracking system allows members to connect with other readers, journal and review literature and trade and follow their books as lives are changed through “reading and releasing”. Users are able to tag and track their individual books by marking them with BCIDs (BookCrossing Identity Numbers). Each BCID is unique to each book – once it’s registered on the site, the book can then be followed and journaled forever. BookCrossing is free to join and free to play. So don’t be ‘shelf’ish with your books – read and release!
BookCrossers love their books and love to read them. They tend to be the most generous, innovative, earth-friendly, good-hearted, whimsical, fun and educated people on the face of the planet.
Where in the world is BookCrossing: Here are the top 10 BookCrossing countries:
- USA 29%
- Germany 16%
- United Kingdom 13%
- Netherlands 11%
- Finland 10%
- Canada 8%
- Australia 5%
- France 4%
- Portugal 3%
- Spain 1%
You can…
Join the World’s Library
Manage your bookshelf (both on and offline)
Create customized bookplates for all your books
Hunt for books in your neighborhood or around the world using the “Go Hunting” pages
Chat in the forums about books, authors or anything else
Start an Official BookCrossing Zone (OBCZ) in your library, classroom, office or coffee shop
Connect with Members around the world (on and offline)
Travel to BookCrossing Conventions (currently held on 5 continents)
Review Journal Entries to determine reading preferences and find great books
Buy books at a discount
Share books with other BookCrossers
Check out the Mapping Feature to see where your books have been
Participate in a Random Act of BookCrossing Kindness (RABCK)
Mentor a BookCrossing Newbie
Read our Newsletter for the latest and greatest in the book world
Follow us on MySpace, Twitter, Snaptell and Facebook
Send virtual gifts to your BookCrossing friends and family
Enter contests and win cool prizes
Involve yourself in a themed releases
Get published by sending in your article & photo for our newsletter
Check out the Swaledale Museum in Hawes which is where I am freeing my books! They are yours for free!
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